Combination wad column and shot liner



Nov. 16, 1965 D. S. FOOTE ETAL COMBINATION WAD COLUMN AND SHOT LINER Filed Oct. 8, 1962 772w)" A t t ornggs.

United States Patent (ZOlii'BINA'I'IDN WAD COLUMN AND SHOT LINER Donald S. Foote, Greens Farms, Edward A. Rickey,

Stratford, and Justin H. Whipple, Milford, Coma, as-

signors to Remington Arms Company, Ina, Bridgeport,

Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 228,818 13 Claims. (Cl. 102-42) This invention relates to an improved type of shotshell capable of producing better patterns, reduced barrel smudge as well as leading and abrasion, reduced sensation of gun recoil, and economy in shotshell loading and production in general.

These advantages are realized by the use in a shotshell of a unique, unitarilymolded component of resilient plastic material having the functions of (l) a gas-sealing wad, (2) a resilient or cushioning wad, and (3) an openend shot carrier which protects and guides the shot pellets during the time the pellets are passing through the gun barrel.

By utilizing a unitary polyethylene combined wad column and shot carrier, a flexible unit is provided which responds very well to choke control. Manufacturing costs can be decreased because of the one-mold opera tion and necessity of having only one component to feed in loading the shell. Moreover, the low specific gravity of polyethylene means less cartridge weight and thus a minimum gun recoil. Finally, the shot capsule eases the strain on a shotshell body tube because it eases the transition of the shot charge from the shotshell through the forcing cone of the gun to the bore surface.

A more precise explanation of the invention along with other objects and advantages thereof will become more apparent from consideration of the following specification referring to the attached drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section view through a loaded shotshell utilizing the combination wad column/ shot carrier which is the principal part of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section view of the combination wad column/shot carrier.

FIGURES 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views on the lines 33 and 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the combination wad column/shot carrier as recovered after firing.

Referring to the drawing by reference numbers, it will be seen that FIGURE 1 illustrates a loaded shotshell embodying a metal head 1 having a tubular body 2 attached thereto and a basewad 3 inserted within said body. The body 2 may be a conventional body made of paper but is preferably formed of biaxially-oriented high density polyethylene, as disclosed in application Ser. No. 37,598, filed June 21, 1960.

Within body 2 is found the usual powder charge 4 and a combination wad column and shot carrier 5 to which this invention primarily relates and which is illustrated more specifically in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. A shot charge 6 is at least partially confined in the forward portion 7 of the combination wad/ carrier 5 and the forward end of the shell body 2 is closed by a folded crimp 8 to maintain the shotshell assembly intact until firing.

Referring specifically to FIGURE '2, the combination wad/ carrier 5 is seen to consist of a unitary, cylindrical molded structure of polyethylene or other suitable resil- 3,217,648 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 sient, plastic material having a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the shotshell casing 2 in which the molded structure is inserted. An over-powder, transverse, imperforate wall 9 is spaced from the lower end of the structure 5 so as to define a circular, rearwardly extending flange or skirt 10. This skirt 10 is positioned adjacent to and partially confines the powder charge 4 so that upon firing, the skirt is forced radially against the walls of the shell body 2 and effectively prevents the explosive gas from leaking past the structure 5 and upsetting and/ or deforming the shot pellets 6.

An under-shot imperforate wall 11 is spaced from the over-powder wall 9 and acts as a base for a shot container defined by said wall 11 and the upper open-end portion 12 integrally attached thereto and extending therefrom. A plurality of circumferentially spaced and longitudinally extending slits 13 extend from the open end of tubular portion 12 to points adjacent said wall 11 thus forming a plurality of discrete panels 14. At least the major portion of the shot pellets 6 are confined by the tubular shot carrier 12.

Joining the walls 9 and 11 is a collapsible cushioning section defined by a plurality of spaced-apart relatively thin web members 15 which define a plurality of chordwise extending air pockets 16.

The gas-sealing skirt 10 should make a fairly snug fit in the shell body 2 and the bore of the firearm barrel (not shown) and be thin enough to be expanded by internal gas pressure to effectively bar the escape of propellant powder gases on firing.

When firing takes place, the inertia of the shot charge 6 and the resistance to opening of the crimp 8 both delay any forward movement of the charge. During this interval, the air pockets 16 are decreased in volume as the cushioning webs 15, which are placed in compression, buckle under the load of powder gas pressure. The outer pair of webs 17 are in engagement with the shotshell body and when they buckle, can only buckle inwardly. To assist in symmetrical buckling of the inner pair of webs, they are preferably formed with offset portions 18, in their central portions in order to predispose them into collapsing toward the center of the shell. The collapse of this structure can be readily controlled by selection of materials and dimensions to insure adequate resistance for good ignition of the propellant powder and adequate cushioning to minimize shot distortions from too rapid acceleration by the powder charge. As the forces within the shell build up, the crimp 8 unfolds to allow the wad column and shot carrier to carry the shot charge through the gun bore.

During the acceleration and travel of the shot charge, the forces of inertia acting on the individual shot pellets tend to cause them to flow like a fluid and to exert linear pressure on the under-shot wall 11 and radial pressure on the walls of the shot carrier 12. In the absence of a shot carrier, the outer layer of pellets are exposed to abrasive action by the walls of the gun barrel bore and to erosion by any gas which may have escaped from the propellant charge. During this interval, the shot car rier 12 of the present invention encloses and protects the shot pellets both from abrasion and from the eroding and scattering effects of the hot, expanding gas. Similarly, the shot carrier protects the barrel from leading caused when the hot gas melts portions of the shot pellets and deposits the lead on the walls of the barrel or when the lead is physically abraded much as sand paper or emery paper abrades a soft material.

Upon emerging from the muzzle of the gun, the panels 14, which make up the walls of the tubular shot carrier 12, are no longer radially or laterally supported. To the extent that the shot carrier may still be accelerating, the laterally exerted pressure of the shot pellets will tend to spread these panels. In any event, the eifect of driving the shot carrier into the ambient air will be to open these panels like a parachute and rapidly decelerate the wad column/ shot. Under these circumstances, there will be a clean symmetrical release of the shot charge within a very short distance of the barrel muzzle and the shot will travel in a short compact column producing optimum pattern.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination wad column and shot carrier for a shotshell comprising a unitary, substantially cylindrical member made of a flexible plastic material, which member includes: a collapsible cushion means integrally formed in one piece with and of the same material as the rest of said plastic cylindrical member, said cushion means including an imperforate wall spaced upwardly from the lower end of said unitary cylindrical member, a circumferentially continuous skirt means integral with and projecting rearwardly from said imperforate wall, said wall and skirt means being positioned adjacent the charge of propellant powder so that the skirt means partially en closes a portion of said propellant charge and acts as a gas seal therefor, a shot carrier integrally formed in one piece with and of the same material as said cushion means and extending in a direction opposite to the skirt means, said shot carrier comprising an open-ended, thin-walled tubular portion which encloses at least the major portion of the shot charge, and a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced longitudinal slits in said tubular wall portion extending from the open end of said tubular portion to points adjacent said cushion means.

2. A combination wad column and shot carrier for a shotshell as recited in claim 1 wherein said cushion means includes thin-walled, collapsible sections spaced apart from each other to define air spaces therebetween, said thin-walled sections being of insufiicient strength to withstand propellant gas pressure without buckling.

3. A combination wad column and shot carrier as recited in claim 1 wherein said cushion means includes means defining a plurality of transverse openings extending chordwise through said cylindrical member be tween said imperforate wall and said tubular shot carrier portion.

4. A combination wad column and shot carrier as recited in claim 3 wherein said means defining a plurality of transverse openings includes a plurality of parallel thin-walled sections extending chordwise through said cylindrical member and connecting said imperforate wall adjacent said skirt means and an upper imperforate wall adjacent said shot carrier, and means to predispose said connecting sections to buckle symmetrically towards each other and towards a diameter of said member parallel to said transverse openings upon being subjected to propellant gas pressure.

5. A combination wad column and shot carrier as recited in claim 3 in which an uneven number of said transverse openings are provided in uniformly spaced relationship, with the axis of the central opening being positioned on a diameter of said member parallel to said transverse openings.

6. For use in a shotshell having a cylindrical body casing with a closed lower end portion in which a propellant charge is placed and an open upper end portion through which shot pellets are expelled upon firing, an improved combination wad column and shot carrier adapted to be positioned within said shotshell, said combination wad column and shot carrier comprising:

(1) a unitary, integrally-molded, cylindrical plastic member having a lower closed end and an upper open end, said unitary plastic member comprising (2) a first transverse wall member defining said lower closed end and being integrally formed with and of the same material as said cylindrical member,

(3) a second transverse wall member, parallel to and laterally spaced from said first transverse wall member,

(4) a plurality of means integrally formed with an of the same material as said first transverse w-all member and connecting said wall members defining air pocket means therebetween which are adapted to act as cushion means,

(5) said connecting means being of predetermined strength which is sufficient to provide the necessary structural support upon normal use during handling, but which will buckle upon being subjected to propellant gas pressure,

(6) and a plurality of circumferentially-spaced slits extending longitudinally from the upper open end of said cylindrical plastic member to points adjacent said second wall member,

(7 said slitted upper end portion adapted to carry at least the major portion of the shot charge during normal use and to flare outwardly to release said shot charge and drop to the ground upon being shot out of the shotgun barrel.

7. In a shotshell having a cylindrical body casing, a cylindrical unitary plastic wad and shot carrier member adapted to be positioned snugly within said casing, said member comprising skirt means at one end thereof, shot carrier means at the other end of said member, cushioning means integrally formed intermediate the ends of said member, said cushioning means comprising air pocket means defined by thin wall portions of predetermined strength adapted to buckle upon firing of said shotshell, said shot carrier means and said cushioning means being formed as one piece with and of the same material as said cylindrical plastic member.

8. A unitary wad and shot carrier member as recited in claim 7 wherein means are provided to predispose said thin wall portions to buckle symmetrically upon being subjected to propellant gas pressure.

9. A unitary wad and shot carrier member as recited in claim 8 wherein said air pocket means comprise a plurality of parallel openings which extend chordwise through said member and which are defined by said thin wall portions.

10. A unitary Wad and shot carrier member as recited in claim 9 wherein said predisposing means comprise offset portions on said thin wall portions which tend to make the wall portions buckle toward the center of the wad and shot carrier member.

11. In a shotshell having a cylindrical body casing, a unitary molded plastic wad member comprising a cylindrical plug adapted to be fit snugly within said body casing, said plug having upper and lower imperforate end wall portions, a plurality of air pockets in said plug extending through said plug on parallel chordwise axes, said pockets being defined by a plurality of integral thin wall portions which extend chordwise substantially parallel to one another and which connect upper and lower imperforate end wall portions, said connecting thin wall portions being of predetermined strength which will buckle under explosive gas pressure when the shotshell is fired.

12. A molded plastic wad member as recited in claim 11 in which means are provided to predispose said connecting wall portions into buckling symmetrically toward the center of said wad member.

13. A molded plastic Wad member as recited in claim 12 in which said means to predispose said connecting wall portions into buckling symmetrically comprise inwardly directed offset portions on certain of said connecting wall pressure being applied on the transverse end wall portions.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 997,566 7/ 1911 Leach 10295 2,559,275 7/1951 Brown et al 102-42 2,986,998 6/1961 Clark 102 95 X 10 3,011,404 12/ 1961 Russell. 3,053,185 9/ 1962 Oberfell et a1. 10295 Clark 10295 Daubenspeck et a1. 10295 X FOREIGN PATENTS France. France.

Great Britain. Italy.

Italy.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL FEINBERG, SAMUEL W. ENGLE,

Examiners.

Disclaimer 3,217,648.D0mld S. Foote, Greens Farms, E dward A. Rickey, Stratford, and

Justin H. W'hipple, Milford, Conn. COMBINATION WAD COL- UMN AND SHOT LINER. Patent dated Nov. 16, 1965. Disclaimer filed Mar. 29, 1971, by the assignee, Remington A'rms Company, Inc.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to claim 1 as an independent claim of said patent.

[Official Gazette June 8, 1.971.] 

1. A COMBINATION WAD COLUMN AND SHOT CARRIER FOR A SHOTSHELL COMPRISING A UNITARY, SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL MEMBER MADE OF A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL, WHICH MEMBER INCLUDES: A COLLAPSIBLE CUSHION MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED IN ONE PIECE WITH AND OF THE SAME MATERIAL AS THE REST OF SAID PLASTIC CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID CUSHION MEANS INCLUDING AN IMPERFORATE WALL SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID UNITARY CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS SKIRT MEANS INTEGRAL WITH AND PROJECTING REARWARDLY FROM SAID IMPERFORATE WALL, SAID WALL AND SKIRT MEANS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT THE CHARGE OF PROPELLANT POWDER SO THAT THE SKIRT MEANS PARTIALLY ENCLOSES A PORTION OF SAID PROPELLANT CHARGE AND ACTS AS A GAS SEAL THEREFOR, A SHOT CARRIER INTEGRALLY FORMED IN ONE PIECE WITH AND OF THE SAME MATERIAL AS SAID CUSHION MEANS AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE SKIRT MEANS, SAID SHOT CARRIER COMPRISING AN OPEN-ENDED, THIN-WALLED TUBULAR PORTION WHICH ENCLOSES AT LEAST THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE SHOT CHARGE, AND A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLYSPACED LONGITUDINAL SLITS IN SAID TUBULAR WALL PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE OPEN END OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION TO POINTS ADJACENT SAID CUSHION MEANS. 